Scars
by AceOfHearts444
Summary: Set post-movie. There are some scars that Maleficent may never be able to heal. But Aurora wants to help her try. Malora (Maleficent x Aurora) Femslash. Multi-Chapter.


**A/N: Malora is my new obsession. My newest OTP. I ship it and I'm proud :P The movie was brilliant and I need to see it again ASAP. **

**Chapter One**

The coronation ceremony was in full swing and, despite the late hour, the Moors teemed with a liveliness that Maleficent had not seen in over sixteen years. The faery sat on the branch of a tall oak tree, silently watching. There was much noise, music and laughter. The wallerbogs were engaged in a mud-slinging contest, the pixies danced and the goblins tried their hand at singing a rather disjointed melody.

For the first time in so very long, they were happy.

At the thought, Maleficent felt a sharp stab of guilt in the pit of her stomach, for it had long been known that it was _her_ rage, _her_ jealousy and _her_ spite that had darkened the Moors.

Her wings twitched uncomfortably as the single thought kept racing through her mind, taunting her over and over again;

It was all because of _her_.

The tall faery winced visibly at the thought and fought to swallow the hard lump that had now formed in her throat. She gripped her oaken staff tightly and pulled it ever closer to her as if it could offer some sort of physical comfort.

A frown pulled at the corners of her lips, ruby red in stark contrast to the moonlight that filtered through the trees to illuminate her. Maleficent knew that it was not wise to be alone with her thoughts at present, though she could see no other viable option.

The guests had been asking after her, Aurora in particular. But she would not allow herself to join the celebration, for she felt she did not deserve to. Not after what she had done. She was undeserving of their forgiveness, just as she was undeserving of Aurora.

The thought caused her to shudder violently with an emotion she desperately wanted to believe she was no longer capable of.

Drawing her wings around herself, Maleficent willed her heart to steady its rather incessant beating. She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed hard against the sobs that threatened to spill forth.

She was stronger than this.

"True love's kiss be damned, I'll not have my heart broken a second time…" She affirmed, working hard to re-build the walls that encased her vulnerable side.

Almost as if on cue, she heard the summons of her beastie. Maleficent craned her slender neck to look down at Aurora, who was circling the trunks of the trees beneath her.

Maleficent quirked an eyebrow. The girl may as well have been trying to chase her own shadow.

"Fairy Godmother…?"

Silence for a few moments, and then a louder plea sounded from the girls lips;

"Fairy Godmother!"

Maleficent looked down on her, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. It amused her to no end that Aurora had taken to still calling her that.

"Fairy Godmother?!" Aurora called again.

_'__Determined little thing… Looks like she isn't going to give up anytime soon.'_

With a beat of her wings to steady herself, Maleficent dropped down from her perch to land behind Aurora.

"Do not worry yourself. I am here."

"Oh!" Aurora flung her arms around Maleficent's shoulders and buried her face in the crook of her neck with a suddenness that almost caused the tall fairy to lose her balance. The feeling of the young queen's full body weight pressing into her caused the pace of Maleficent's heart to quicken.

Aurora sighed, her breath tickling Maleficent's collarbone. "I knew you would be close by, just as you always are."

Maleficent simply smiled at this, but said nothing. She was vaguely aware of Aurora's scent surrounding her; a mixture of flowers and honey, with the subtle hint of earth that came from the mud she'd been throwing at the wallerbogs.

"Will you not join us? I've asked after you. Several times now." Aurora pulled back then to stare up at Maleficent, her eyes kind but questioning.

A levelled gaze came from the faery. Maleficent would have to feign indifference, as she had always done. She was not prepared to tell Aurora her real reasons for not joining in the celebrations, lest she hurt the girl's feelings. After a few brief moments of contemplation, she answered:

"There is far too much noise down there for my liking. My ears are highly sensitive."

Aurora regarded her for a few moments before tapping her finger to her chin in contemplation. She looked from Maleficent to the party, and back and forth, her brow creased in thought.

Maleficent was fighting back the urge to smirk. Sometimes, her little beastie was too adorable for her own good.

"I know!" Came Aurora's sudden exclamation, "I can ask them to keep the noise down? I'm sure everyone will still be able to have a good time without all the music and yelling. Especially if you're there! Yes, I'm sure of it!" She clapped her hands excitedly, her usual sunny grin now plastered to her face.

Maleficent couldn't help but chuckle, shaking her head. It was Aurora's coronation; the party was held in her honour. And yet here she was, offering to put an end to her and the guest's frivolities for the sake of Maleficent's hearing.

The girl's kindness and consideration never ceased to amaze the faery, and for one split, unwanted second, she likened Aurora's rather innocent offer to Stefan throwing away his iron ring when it burned her.

She faltered, and when her eyes met Aurora's she saw Stefan.

Maleficent visibly shuddered, and the look on her face must have been far too revealing. The young queen's childlike naiveté had been quickly replaced with a look of utmost concern.

"Godmother…?" Aurora reached out a hand to gently touch her arm, and it took every fibre in Maleficent's being to not retreat, for doing so would only cause the girl worry, and she did not want to burden her.

"I'm fine." Maleficent did her best to give a reassuring smile. "I was merely lost in thought. You mustn't worry over me so. And my sense of hearing isn't so important that you need to spoil your fun."

Aurora studied her for a time, concern etched on her features. She clearly knew something was troubling the faery, though she had decided to stop pressing the issue. She would try again later, when Maleficent's wings weren't bristling defensively and when she was certain the faery wouldn't flee from her like a timid faun.

She withdrew her hand, frowning slightly.

"But it isn't nearly as much fun without you." Aurora huffed.

"I find that hard to believe."

"But it's true!" Aurora exclaimed, "Are you absolutely sure you won't come and join us? You and your pretty wings will be the life of the party, I'm sure!"

The faery had to resist fanning her wings in a show of pride, and instead she opted to curl them against her back. She simply shook her head, 'no', and Aurora sighed.

"Fine." She said, crossing her arms and giving Maleficent a pout. "If you won't come down there, then I'm staying up here with you."

Maleficent sighed, shaking her head. "Aurora-"

Aurora wiggled a finger at her playfully, silencing her. She then laughed gleefully. "I know what you're going to say, Godmother, but I've made up my mind! I'm sure they can all have fun without me for a while. I didn't think you'd come down anyway, so I had Diaval make up a cover story for my absence!"

Maleficent arched a slender eyebrow.

_Diaval…?_

She specifically told him to make sure Aurora stayed at the party and enjoyed her night. Maleficent sighed, and made a mental note to turn him into a dog for the next three days at least.

Aurora was still beaming, and Maleficent allowed herself to smile back at her. "It seems you have won then. The rest of the night is ours."

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear!" Aurora laughed. "I want to play a game. Would that be alright with you?"

She spun around and flitted about Maleficent, who chuckled at her antics.

"Honestly, Aurora, do you ever tire…?" The faery asked, a hint of playfulness in her voice.

"No, not really." Aurora smiled before tapping the faery's slender arm. "You're it!"

And with that, Aurora rushed into the woods in a fit of giggles, leaving an amused Maleficent to follow.

Their game had lasted well over an hour now, Aurora caught up in the fun of it. It was perhaps one of the most uncoordinated games of tag ever played and yet, that was what made it so much fun.

When Maleficent was 'it' Aurora spent her time stumbling blindly through the roots and moss, hitching her dress above her knees lest it be snagged or caught on something. Somewhere through her heavy breathing and laughter Aurora would feel a slender hand ghost her arm and a "You're it". As soon as she caught sight of the faery's shadow, she would be gone.

When Aurora was "it", it felt more like she was playing hide and seek. She would chase shadows through the trees and mistake branches for horns. She would have to scan above her, below her, everywhere. At one point in their game she found Maleficent sitting on a tree branch, one foot dangling beneath her, a smirk gracing her lips. She said nothing, but when Aurora reached up to tap her foot 'it', she pulled it upwards and out of reach. Aurora pouted, but laughed soon after as the fairy gave a soft chuckle of amusement.

"Hey! That's cheating!" She was breathless and giddy from fun. "Get down here!"

She took another swipe at her foot before Maleficent hopped down, smiling. "As you wish."

"It!"

Aurora was having so much fun, she had forgotten all about the party. The only thing that mattered to her right now was the precious time she was spending with Maleficent. It was obvious that something had been bothering the faery earlier, and Aurora figured her game was taking Maleficent's mind off things.

There had been a flicker of something in Maleficent's eyes before. Was it fear, anger? A mixture of both, perhaps? Aurora was not sure, though she was determined to find out what was wrong eventually. Then she would do whatever was in her power to help.

In Maleficent's current closed-off, defensive state, however, the best Aurora could offer was a distraction.

Her thoughts were interrupted suddenly when a pair of slender arms encircled her waist. She was brought to a sudden stop as she heard a familiar voice ghosting over her shoulder.

"Caught you."

Aurora giggled before turning in Maleficent's arms. She reached up with both hands and softly encircled her fingers around the base of the faery's horns, eliciting a soft gasp from her. The bold move had obviously caught her off-guard.

"No, caught _you._"

She couldn't even remember what their game was, but she didn't care.

Maleficent's eyes widened with an emotion Aurora couldn't quite place. Then they fluttered closed.

_'__Goodness, she's beautiful…' _Thought Aurora, a blush lightly covering her cheeks.

She could feel a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was a tingling warmth, one she wasn't quite familiar with. She decided to not give it too much thought for the time being, instead lightly grazing her thumb pads over the base of the horns she was gripping.

After a few moments, it was Maleficent who broke the silence.

"You did this once before…" She murmured, leaning forward slightly and into the girl's touch, "When you were small."

"I know. I remember." Aurora smiled at the memory.

"You do?" Maleficent pulled back slightly to look at her.

"Of course." Aurora paused thoughtfully before continuing, "How else did you think I knew who you were, the day you revealed yourself to me? I remembered your horns. Your shadow always had horns. That's how I knew I'd met my fairy godmother, that day in the woods. I never did forget your face, you know. Or how these felt."

She absent-mindedly ran a hand up her right horn, and Maleficent fought to suppress a shiver. The look in Aurora's eyes was making her feel far too vulnerable. She wanted to flee this situation she found herself in, for it bothered her how much she wanted the girl's touch. And, unbeknownst to Aurora, her horns were highly… Sensitive.

The girl yawned then, and Maleficent saw this as the key to her escape.

"All this running about has tired you, has it not?" Maleficent asked, still trying to compose herself despite Aurora's touches.

The girl yawned again, nodding slightly. "A bit, yes."

"Would you like to return? The celebration will come to a lull soon. You can bid your guests goodnight and then rest your head."

Aurora looked at Maleficent through sleep-lidded eyes. When she was tired, it always seemed to come on quite quickly. Hours of energy and suddenly she was running on empty. That's just how she'd always been.

"Alright." Aurora agreed. "But I don't think I have the energy to walk all the way back."

"Truly?" Maleficent arched an eyebrow in amusement at how quickly the girl's energy had dissipated.

"Mm…" She murmured. "Godmother…?"

"Yes, beastie…?"

Aurora gripped the older woman's horns a little bit tighter.

"Up." She said simply, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

Maleficent couldn't help but allow herself to chuckle at that. Gently, she lifted the girl into her arms as Aurora's hands fell from her horns to wrap around her slender neck, sleep enveloping her soon after as her guardian dutifully carried her home.

**A/N: New chapter soon :) Sorry the spacing is messed up, doesn't seem to like me indicating scene changes. Oh well. *flies off to tumblr to look for more Malora***


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